I recently bought a 90 Iroc and before I put it on the road in the spring I want to do a good tune up. My question is what brands would you recommend.I will replace the cap, rotor ,wires, plugs.Some things that I'm wondering about are the distributor and the coil.I would like to put good quality components into my car without going broke.

 

i'd go accel for the normal stuff, ie wires, cap, rotor.. its not a life altering decision as to which one(granted you get one from a reputable company), for a new distributor, i'd go for a mallory or MSD, but thats me.

 

Zedder,

Like MTX said, brand name is not everything. What is more important is the design. Get a cap and rotor with deep arc chutes, brass terminals, and GRP base material.

Unless your wires are over 50,000 miles old, instead of replacing the wires, remove, clean, and test them one or two at a time. If you need new wires, the old set is already off. If they test O.K., you can save the money for a DMM/tach to help with the rest of your tuning. If you find failing wires, get 8mm silicone insulated wires with a fairly low resistance core. MSD, Standard Plus (Blue Streak), and even some of the generic manufacturers have a "Pro-Series" line of components that are higher quality.

Test the ignition coil resistance while you're at it.

The air filter is not a big issue, but stay away from cheap oil filters, fuel filters, and PCV valves. The long case AC oil filters are good, and Purolator and Wix have some decent ones. Fram seems to have some problems with quality in oil filters, so I avoid them.

Due to some bad past experiences, I would recommend ONLY AC for PCV valves. If your PCV is operational, just clean it and inspect the hoses instead of replacing it.

I've had good success with Champion spark plugs and AC platinums (80,000 miles on one LT1 set without problems). Despite some manufacturers' claims, the multi-electrode plugs are no better than the standard single electrode design if the proper heat range is used. They might not be any worse, but why pay the extra cost for zero benefit? And while removing the old plugs, don't just throw them away. The spark plug condition is one of the best barometers of overall engine health. Anything other than nicely rounded electrodes and an overall light tan color can indicate mixture or combustion problems.

Don't overlook the coolant. A flush/fill with fresh coolant mix can protect your system while it's stored and reduce the frustration next spring. Don't forget to clean out the air side of the radiator while you're there.

Check the base ignition timing, and test the TPS voltage. Check the minimum air position (base idle) of the throttle plates. Clean the IAC stepper motor and air passages, as well as the bores of the TB.

Clean the battery terminals and check the ground connections. Check the transmission and differential oil levels, or change the fluid on an automatic, and you're almost done. While you're back there checking the differential, consider changing the fuel filter if if has over 36,000 miles on it.

If your oxygen sensor has been in use for more than 30,000 miles, you might want to consider replacing it. For the price of a set of ignition wires, it can make a lot bigger difference than new wires.

Top off the rest of the fluid levels, add fuel stabilizer to the tank, and put the Ziploc on it until spring.

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Later,
Vader
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